The Four Aspects

Welcome, 2022. I am ready for you. 

I have hung a new galvanized metal Zia in our living room and I am ready to heed its directives. I need this.

According to Pueblo historical iconography, the Zia represents the circle of life. The four rays spreading out from it are the four aspects of life we need constantly to work on:

Strong body 

(been going back to the gym since Thanksgiving, doing well.)  

Clear mind 

(I really value this.)

Pure spirit 

(I'll work on it. It's tough in today's political and social climate but . .) 

Devotion to others 

(Always.)

Then, each of the four rays has four straight lines that represent:

Four seasons - winter, spring, summer, fall. 

(I live it, I am a gardener)

Four compass points - north, south, east, west. 

(My loved ones are spread in all those directions)

Four stages of life - child, youth, middle age, elderly. 

(I'm old. A granddaughter is new. Others are in-between)

Four times of day - morning, afternoon, evening, night. 

(The rhythm of my days.)

The Zia is the first thing I see when I come into the room on my way to make coffee in the mornings. It's the last thing I see as I turn out lights at bed time. 

Before hanging the Zia, I had two watercolor paintings of the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming propped up on the mantel. But watercolors fade easily and the late afternoon sun hits this wall just so.

It was time to retire these treasured paintings to a less sun-splashed spot on another wall of the house. I put them in the bedroom, where their soft quiet colors work well.

The metal Zia now has the spot over the mantel in the middle of the house. It won't fade in the sun. Seen from the side, the edges have a turquoise patina that glows. Seen from the front it's pretty simple.

Simple in design, unfussy in execution, a reminder of life's focus, broken down into four simple aspects, four related rhythms. Besides, I just like the way it looks on the wall there.